Dawns and Dusks
by cynthiarox66
Summary: SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER POSTED. Before Karou can embrace marriage, she must face the difficulties to becoming the best wife she can for Kenshin. And Kenshin must make her understand that he loves her for who she is.
1. Doubt and Confusion

**This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fanfic ^.^ It is based more on the anime, since I have not read the part in the magna about Enishi yet. However, I have watched Trust and Betrayal, so I am familiar with Tomoe.**

* * *

Thick mist crept along the streets of Tokyo, gathering underneath the doorways and entrances of homes and shops. It was not yet light, but the moon had disappeared all but a wisp and the sky was a soft shade of gray. The city was in a state of slumber; even the pigeons were still resting in the gingko trees and the crickets just wakening for song. The Meiji Era had finally begun to sink its roots deep into Japanese soil and peaceful mornings like this one were no oddity to the townspeople. Even the ever-lively Dojo at the end of the street was silent. All the inhabitants were sleeping off a long day of work, fun work, but no less tiring work. Well, not all…

Himura Kenshin pulled himself up into sitting position, staring at the shadowy blankets. He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. He alone was awake, not that he minded. He was used to it by now. After years of near-insomnia, Kenshin naturally was an early riser. But as he turned his head around to take in the dark surroundings of the room, he almost wished he could be like the others and enjoy this moment of serenity.

Almost.

Sometimes, the red-haired swordsman felt strange living in a world without the agony and pain he had known during the revolution as a hitiroki. Nobody at the Dojo knew how he used to sleep against a windowsill, upright with his katana at hand's reach in fears letting down his guard. They knew his past in summary, but the former Battousai had decided to omit the details.

He was a happy man, a lucky man. Happy to have asked Kaoru-dono's hand in marriage, lucky to have her accept, because after all, with a man came his past. Two years ago when he had met Kaoru-dono for the first time, she told him that she didn't care about his past.

Kenshin knew the truth. The past was a body he could bury, yet the bones would always be there. It haunted him, that it did, all the way down to his early rising habits.

Soundlessly, he changed into his old kimono, folded the blankets, and rolled up the futon. From the feel of the air and the dim blue light filtering through the shogi doors, Kenshin predicted a clear day. Carefully, he pushed the doors apart, inhaling the cool breeze. It was definitely a good morning, and the best way to start a good morning was by taking down the laundry.

* * *

Kamiya Kaoru woke to the notes of bird song in her ears. The outline of the sun glared in the cloudless sky. She yawned and stretched her arms, wincing from the movement. Carrying seventy pounds of rice from the market and back had its side effects. Yahiko had insisted on helping, but she couldn't let her reputation go foul. What would people say if she, the twenty year-old, let a little kid like him do the work for her? Instead, she had given him the task of holding the tofu. Now, as she changed out of her sleeping clothes, she wondered if her pride was worth sore muscles.

"Kaoru! Kaoru, you lazy pig, get up already!" She dropped her scarf in surprise from the ruckus that was going on outside her door.

"Yahiko, you should know better than to annoy somebody when they have just gotten up, especially a lady! Now if you give me a second, _maybe _I'll come out." The young Dojo master grumbled as she yanked a comb through her hair, pulling out a few strands of black.

"But you promised that we could train early today. Ladies don't go back on their words, but then again, I wouldn't put it past you, you _big, fat, ugly liar!_"

"I dare you to repeat that," Kaoru grumbled underneath her breath, then shrugged and smiled to herself. _Well, at least he's willing to work hard, and he's got spirit. _She tied her hair in its customary ponytail and slipped on a loose-fitting kimono.

The boy leaned against the rice-paper doors and blew his bangs away from his eyes. He was probably going to have to wait for a long time for the tanuki to get dressed, and then he'd have to hear the usual repercussions for being so loud in the morning. So when the sliding doors opened with a bang, he almost fell backwards.

"Good morning, Yahiko." He gave her cheerful face a long look. Kaoru ruffled his hair all in good nature. "Let's go."

"You certainly were fast this morning," he observed as they walked through the courtyard. "And I thought you said you weren't a morning person."

She put a finger to her chin. "It's too pretty of a day to be grouchy." They waved to the doctor.

"You mean," Yahiko corrected impishly, "you are so happy because Kenshin asked you to marry him last night."

"How—"

"Hey, you're not the only one who lives in this Dojo!" The young lady flushed red. "But I'm sure that no else knows except for maybe Sano…and Megumi."

_"No one else knows? That's basically everybody!" _Having somewhat leveled her plum complexion, Kaoru smacked the boy's dark head. _I guess it's not a bad thing, but I was hoping for some time to dwell on this concept of marriage just by myself._

The training room was light enough for a proper fight. Each picked up a wooden sword and readied their stances. Yahiko lunged first.

"Boy, I was beginning to think that you were as bad as Sano when it came to getting out of bed." He grunted as he swept a blow at her knees. She sidestepped. "It's good that you're finally rising earlier. Soon, with Kenshin being your husband, you'll have to get up even _earlier. _He's a maniac, in a good way of course. When I went to the well for a drink at six today, guess what I saw?"

"What?" The Dojo master twisted her torso around and the swords connected with a loud crack.

"All the laundry taken down, and more laundry pinned up! You would think he doesn't sleep."

"Don't be silly, of course Kenshin sleeps. Even a swordsman as great as him needs rest" But as Kaoru prepared to fend off a blow, a heavy weight plummeted from her throat to her stomach.

_Boy, I was beginning to think that you were as bad as Sano when it came to getting out of bed…all the laundry taken down, and more laundry pinned up!_

"Concentrate, Kaoru, concentrate…" She muttered to herself, but her words did not fend off her growing worries.

_I know that a normal wife's duty is to cook and clean, but Kenshin's always had no trouble getting it done by himself, in fact I think he enjoys it. Then again, I can't cook anything decent and I'm bad at washing clothes and doing all that household wife work, so maybe I'm just saying that so I can avoid those jobs. Maybe Yahiko's right, maybe I am as bad as Sanosuke. A good wife should be able to do all of that, but I…I can't._

"Kaoru! Pick up your guard!"

The next thing she knew, she fell onto her knees. It took a second for the impact to catch up to her.

"Geez, what's wrong with you?" She declined the hand the boy offered and dusted off her legs as she stood. "You are kinda out of it today, aren't you?"

Sunlight spilled through the opening in the door, blinding her vision of the outside. "Yeah, I guess I am." She brushed her bangs away from her eyes.

* * *

"Nice and clean." He closed his eyes and smiled, snapping out the dripping shirt in testament of his statement.

"Nice and clean!" The two sisters repeated, clapping their hands.

She watched from the doorway, saw how the autumn fire glanced off his red hair, washing certain areas in gold. The thirty-year old certainly didn't look his age, but years were years nonetheless.

People met people in years.

What was her name again?

* * *

"Kaoru-dono." He smiled softly, his round violet eyes slimming with the expression. A few droplets of water broke from the surface of the full bucket and fell to the ground. Kenshin set the bucket down and wiped his hands on his kimono while watching her normally defined features blur with…doubt?

Surely it wasn't doubt, but he knew that feeling all too well that he could pick it up anywhere. Running the finances of a Dojo all by herself didn't allow the Kaoru-dono to show much weakness, but Kenshin knew doubt like the back of his hand.

He had doubted himself, his right to exist, his path of redemption before. But then, he found people around him to protect, people whom he cared for and who cared for him. Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi-dono, Doctor Genzai and his children, and…Kaoru-dono. There was no reason for him to feel doubt now.

"Are you okay, Kaoru-dono? You've been awfully quiet, it's not like you." He put a hand over hers. In response, she lowered her eyes.

"Kenshin…"

As a master of the Hiten Misurugi style, Kenshin had learned to read the emotions and thoughts of other people during battle. However, he found at times that reading Kaoru-dono could be as difficult as reading a rock.

"Kaoru-dono," he ventured, "I know you said 'yes', but please understand that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you needed more time to this it over. It's a big decision, for both of us—it should not be taken lightly, that it shouldn't."

"What are you _talking_ about, Kenshin? Are you lecturing me? I know how to make my own decisions, thank you very much." Her eyes flashed in the dusk.

_Well, I've said the wrong thing._

"I-I didn't mean to snap, I just…I don't know." She finished, her free hand twisting the fabric of her kimono.

"Kaoru, you can ask or tell me anything,"

"Are you sure?" He found himself lost in the blueness of her irises, the highlights glimmering like moonlight on water.

"Of course." He smiled reassuringly.

"I know you don't tend to talk about your past, but." Blue searched violet. "Can you tell me her name once more?"

* * *

He wasn't the kind to ask her why or to worry over her. Instead, he merely gained a gentle look of understanding in his eyes.

"Yukishiro Tomoe."

"Yukishiro Tomoe…" She repeated in a whisper, feeling the name roll off her tongue.

It was foreign, a bone in her fish, a bitter medicine ball. It did not belong in her mouth, and Kaoru twisted her head away in confusion.

The name of a woman she had never met, but that woman had played a part in making the Kenshin before her right now. So why couldn't she feel closer to this dead person, if she was so close to him that she could reach out a hand and touch his hair if she wanted to?

"Do you…remember what she liked to do?"

He closed his eyes, reminiscing a memory. When he opened them, they looked a little sad.

"Flower arranging."

* * *

The rays of light shattered the continuous horizon before slipping underneath.

* * *

It had been a busy day at the medicine clinic in town. The streets emptied of people just as a certain woman began to make her way home. Long shadows stretched from where the street walls meet the earth to the center of the pavement. Takani Megumi reminded herself to leave earlier next time. Though the Era was relatively peaceful, crimes and scandals still occurred during the dark hours.

"Megumi-dono."

Her shrewd eyes narrowed until she registered the voice of the being and the –dono attached to her name. A burgundy colored sleeve emerged into the light, followed by the rest of his body.

"Sir Ken! I didn't expect to bump into you. What brings you here?"

He smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair. "I would have to ask myself that. Kaoru-dono ordered me to take a break to get out a bit."

"Ah, I see." The fox lady's eyebrows arched slightly.

"Huh?"

"Your wife to-be is quite caring towards you and your health." Megumi tilted her head to the side and laughed as surprise flitted across his face. "I would have congratulated you sooner, Himura Kenshin, but my work schedule didn't allow it." Her grin turned into a frown. "Well, I suppose Kaoru will be cooking dinner tonight?"

"Yes." He recovered from the initial shock and matched his pace with the other. "You don't look very happy about that, Megumi-dono, that you don't."

"Pah, I can't say that love distorts one's evaluation of food since you tolerated Kaoru's cooking from day one."

He was silent as they approached the Dojo. "Thirty years is long enough time to have eaten worse."

* * *

Only when the last lantern had been blown out did she retire.

Sleep would not come.

The absence of sound and light made it possible for all sorts of inner turmoil to flood into Kaoru's head. What had started as a bright day had ended without a definite conclusion to her unease. The ground felt hard and she rolled onto her side.

_His first wife, Yukishiro Tomoe, probably could do things that I cannot as second nature. Cook, clean, wash, even arrange flowers. And all the while, providing the love that Kenshin needed during his darkest years as the Battousai._

_She could play the convincing role of a lover and a wife. And I myself, Kamiya Kaoru, can only be compared to who he knew first, and what a sad comparison I am._

_But nobody should ever give in without a good fight. I did not inherit the family name "Kamiya" for nothing._

"Tomorrow." She curled a fist around the blankets. "Tomorrow I will put my whole heart into becoming the best wife for Kenshin."

* * *

"Tomorrow." He stared at the wooden beams that held up the roof above his head. He closed his eyes. "Tomorrow will be another nice day, that I am sure of."

* * *

Outside, the crickets cooed the autumn night to sleep.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, I love all feedback and criticism ^.^ I know this first chapter came across pretty serious, but I intend for most of the story to have a humorous tone. I plan for this fic to range from about 4-5 chapters, so it will be short and sweet, but hopefully deep enough ^.^**

**Please review, thank you!  
**


	2. Daisies and Allergies

**I want to thank Jasmine blossom625 for being my first reviewer, and also skenshingumi and Drailon97 for their support. ^.^  
**

* * *

Carrying daikon radishes didn't require much effort for a man—unless that man went by the name of Himura. Mutliply one radish by one hundred and Kenshin found himself with one hundred pounds' worth of white vegetable. Their rooty green tops peeked out from the basket tops as he maneuvered his way unsteadily through the streets. By passers took one glance at the ex-samurai with his wobbling load balanced on the ends of a pole and walked a little faster.

It seemed that a sword and X shaped scar were not necessary if he had a hundred radishes.

Thankfully, he was almost at his destination. He wasn't sure how much longer he could miraculously avoid hitting a man in the face. As Kenshin neared the Dojo's entrance, he shifted the weight across his shoulders so he could open the doors with one hand.

"Kenshin!"

Maybe it was because the voice came from behind his back, or that it was far too close to his ear. Either way, Kenshin whirled around, momentarily forgetting about the radishes.

A mistake.

"Here, let me." Kaoru wrapped both arms around a basket as it swung a wild one-eighty degrees. The other end of the pole snapped up like a seesaw.

"Oro!" Kenshin grit his teeth as he leaned every ounce of his being into the opposite direction. He let out a sigh of relief as the swings became shorter and shorter. At last, the basket settled.

"That was close." He carried the other basket and held the door open for the mop of blackish-blue hair that bobbed behind the gargantuan radish harvest. "I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono, but I still don't see the purpose of buying a hundred radishes at a time, that I don't. Wouldn't it be easier if we spread out our purchases?"

"That would mean more trips. Besides, it's not everyday that we can find a sale. There!" With a satisfied grin, the young lady plopped her basket down on the earthen ground. A few clouds of dust puffed into the chilly cellar air and Kenshin coughed as he placed his basket next to hers.

"Thanks for getting a bargain, it's hard to make the money stretch as far as the food." She gave him a bright smile and he bashfully shrugged it off with the usual "you give me too much credit".

* * *

Kaoru hummed as she held a flower stem between her lips. Autumn wasn't the best season for flower picking, but considering that, the tanuki praised herself for making the best of it. She removed the last daisy from her mouth and stuck it in the middle.

Kaoru never imagined that the art of flower arrangement would require natural taste and talent. What colors were supposed to complement the white petals? Leaves or no leaves? How could she make the occasional blossom that poked up blend with the others without smothering it? What a pain...the very hobby tested her patience in every possible way!

Hey, for a first try, it didn't look so bad. If she could ignore the wilting petals and the less than uniform stem-length, she could call this attempt passable.

"It needs something…" Her brow knit in thought as she scrutinized the mediocre arrangement. "I think Megumi said putting 'pretty weeds' in the mix would help the actual flowers stand out."

Had Kaoru focused on the details of the conversation between her and the female doctor, she would have remembered that the 'pretty weeds' were just a slang term for long grasses or stalks of barley to insert here and there. But such petty flower terminology went in the right side of the tomboyish girl's head and out the left.

While flowers weren't in season, weeds definitely were. Kaoru had no trouble finding a particular species that looked like nettle, even a few puff-ball resembling plants that grew under the shade of neighboring trees. She poked them in randomly and lifted her hand away to admire her handiwork.

"That does the trick." She shut her eyes in bliss. "I hope Kenshin likes daisies."

* * *

"So what's on the lunch menu today?" The spiky-haired man leaned heavily against the counter, bouncing a fishbone up and down between his incisors.

"Well, we have a lot of radishes, that we do, so I was thinking of something simple, perhaps rice and boiled daikon." Kenshin tied a firm knot between his shoulder blades with the string that held up his sleeves.

"Aw man, not rabbit food!" Sanosuke eyed the oblong white lumps with unconcealed distaste. "At least you're the cook. God forbid, Missy cooking plus rabbit food, now that's a meal that'll make me run for my money."

"I don't see what's so bad about Kaoru-dono's cooking, that I don't." Kenshin smiled apologetically and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I suppose it really grows on you, like her _gorgeous_ blue eyes and her _fair, soft_ skin, and her _charming_ personality." He rolled his eyes and spat out his fishbone. "If I'm not mistaken, Kenshin, you're a little lovesick. What you need is a good, hard smack to the head. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if you starting blabbering about her _sensual_ kissing."

"Oro, Sano, don't you think that's stretching it a bit?" The rurouni laughed nervously. "For all I know, we haven't kissed—"

_"What? You asked the girl to marry you and you haven't had a taste of her yet?" _He clucked his tongue in contempt._  
_

"I heard that."

Both men froze. Sano's arms were suspended in a ridiculous pose mid-air, Kenshin's knife hovered a hair above a fat radish. The swordsman's face almost matched the color of his hair, and he gulped even though he should have thanked the Gods the smoldering glare was fixated upon a very fidgety Sanosuke and not himself.

"You." She stepped forward. Kenshin would have laughed at the way Sano flinched if only Kaoru-dono did not have that I-am-going-to-kill-you-slowly look plastered on her face. "Are. _So. _Immature." The ends of her ink hair flounced as she poked the man in the chest. Then, in a brighter demeanor, she smiled a smile that almost made the swordsman melt into a Kenshin-sized puddle on the kitchen floor. She grabbed his wrist and tugged him towards the door.

"Great, just forget that you wanted to fry me alive and steal Kenshin. I see how it is." Sano muttered so she wouldn't hear. Any sane man could see that Kaoru was plain dangerous. He crossed his arms and sighed in relent. "Why do I have such weird friends? A bipolar raccoon and a pushover manslayer."

* * *

"Kenshin, I-I want to you to have this."

He stared dumbly at her flustered face, unlike the usual Kaoru who was so sure of herself, then looked down at the scraggly flowers that had been shoved into his hands.

The first things he noticed were the odd puff-balls.

The second things he noticed were the thorny nettles.

He tore his gaze away from the bouquet at the sound of a throat being cleared. A blush had traveled from the tips of her ears to the sides of her face. Kenshin decided it was time to do some fast thinking.

"It's very…Kaoru." Kenshin mentally slapped himself. He sneaked a glance at her, hoping she wouldn't wrongly interpret that he was comparing her to the daisy bouquet. Quickly lifting the flowers to his nose to cover up his blunder, he inhaled deeply.

The scent was strange. Tangy, mind dizzying, eye-watering. He couldn't help but think that in some ways, it _was_ very Kaoru-dono. He smiled weakly and placed a hand on the small of her back.

"Do you…like it?" He heard the quiver in her voice and his heartbeat slowed. All along, she just wanted to be reassured that he liked it, and he had been making a fool of himself. The swordsman pulled her a little closer to him as they walked back to the kitchen, the subtle scent of jasmine wafting around him.

He placed a light kiss on her head. It was the only answer he had to give.

* * *

It was when the last radish was in the boiling water and Kaoru had left to train Yahiko that Sanosuke dared to give his opinion about the bouquet.

"That…_thing_ looks like a booby trap. Admit it, Kenshin, she thought to put creepy puff-ball things and thorns in and all," he said skeptically.

"If—_sneeze_—you can—_sneeze_—get past the outer—_sneeze_—appearance—_sneeze_—it has a very nice smell."

"Oi, wear a mask or something. I don't want to find your snot in my rice!"

"Sorry, Sano. May I borrow a handkerchief?" He set his knife down on the cutting board to sneeze into the crook of his arm.

Reluctantly, Sanosuke pulled one from his shirt and threw it to him. The lean framed man tied the cloth securely around his nose and mouth. The brawny man squinted at the red rash that was beginning to appear on Kenshin's face. "You're not allergic to flowers, are you?"

"Nigh don'ft—_sneeze_—think so—_sneeze-sneeze_." He stopped stirring and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "You worry—_sneeze_—too much about this unworthy one."

Sano decided he would let the teasing slip this once. "My friend, I suggest you take a break. I'll take the radishes out when they are done." He gave the rurouni a rough push out the door in spite of the protests of "I'm fine", "there's noting wrong", and "I didn't know you cooked, Sano".

With the revered cook of the Dojo gone, the former street-fighter rolled up his sleeves and glared at the bubbling radishes. Time to get down to serious business.

_

* * *

__Could Sano be right?_ Kenshin pulled the handkerchief down and dropped it in the washtub on his way to the well. Cupping a handful of water, he splashed his eyes and patted his face. It was probably just his imagination, but his cheeks did feel a bit puffy. Water trickled down his neck and dripped off his chin.

"Uncle Kenny! Uncle Kenny!"

He looked up in time to see Ayame and Suzume run towards him with their arms thrown open and their hands outstretched. Megumi-dono and Doctor Gensai tailed closely behind. Kenshin dropped into a squat to greet the two sisters.

"Uncle Kenny, you're as red as a tomato!"

"Oro?" He hoisted Suzume onto his shoulders and scooped Ayame into his arm. "Aren't I always?"

"No no." Suzume grabbed a fistful of his cheeks in her small hands and pulled them apart. "Not your hair, Uncle Kenny, your face."

"Oh, that…" His chuckle took on an uneasy tone.

"Sir Ken—oh my, you look horrendous!" Megumi gasped and stopped abruptly in her tracks as the Doctor pried the sisters' fingers off Kenshin's face. She grabbed his chin and wrenched it to the side to get a better look. Kenshin started feeling a little worried himself as she inspected his face.

"Megumi-dono, is there something wrong?"

The female doctor did not reply. She placed a hand against his forehead, asked him to open his mouth, using a stern don't-talk-if-you-know-what's-best-for-you frown to silence his pitiful excuses. As she finished checking his pulse, something caught the kitsune's eye. Kenshin was alarmed when Megumi-dono suddenly decided to rip his kimono open on a whim.

She yanked out the bouquet, sniffed it tentatively.

"Well, Kenshin, would you mind telling me who gave this to you?" Her sweet smile did not deceive him.

* * *

Kenshin was beginning to seriously consider wearing a mask for the next few days until the "dreadful hives", as Megumi-dono put it matter-of-factly, went down. Frankly, he didn't care, but the expressions on Kaoru-dono's, Yahiko's, and Sanosuke's faces were enough to convince him to do just that. He didn't want to see everybody worry about him. A few allergies were nothing compared to the other horrors he had gone through during the revolution. But to his friends, it must have looked pretty bad.

What scared Kenshin the most was not his physical state, but Kaoru-dono's instant transformation.

The young lady had dropped her wooden sword upon seeing him. Her hands had fluttered to her mouth and her face had paled considerably. Megumi, who had squeezed the information from a threatened Sanosuke after no success with a tight-lipped Kenshin, had pulled the girl into the other room for a "much needed" conversation. Sano had nudged the swordsman in the ribs, whispering that he wouldn't want to be in Kaoru's position right now for a million beef pots.

The kitsune's voice traveled well through the paper doors. Kenshin grimaced at hearing some of the brutal reprimands.

"See, I was partially right. You _were _allergic to those poisonous weeds, but no, you wouldn't listen to my advice." Sanosuke grabbed Kenshin by the collar to prevent him from barging into the other room.

"Be a good person and let me go, Sano," he said as evenly as possible.

"What will you do, Kenshin? Save Missy from what she needs to hear?" A bushy brown eyebrow quirked up in question.

He narrowed his violet eyes. "You know as well as I do that Kaoru-dono had good intentions."

"Still, she should know better than to give you flowers with suspicious plants she doesn't know. You're much too soft, Kenshin."

Kenshin opened his mouth to come back with fierce counterargument when the shoji doors opened.

Megumi's calm aura had been replaced by an irritated one, and Kaoru, well Kenshin didn't get a chance to see because the black-haired girl dropped to her knees and bowed her head low at his feet. Her long, silky ponytail spilled across her shoulder.

"Forgive me, Kenshin—"

"Kaoru-dono!" His voice was pained with disbelief at her gesture. He bent down and held her shoulders, but her hands remained pressed against the ground and her forehead against her hands. Her mule-headed personality was one thing that had not changed. Kenshin turned to Megumi for an explanation.

The woman crossed her arms in a challenge.

"Well, Sir Ken, are you going to accept her apology or not?"

He tried to keep his voice light and level, but the usual rurouni humor was undetectable. "There is no apology to be accepted, that there isn't. When nothing has been done with intentional malice, there is no reason to apologize."

Her dark colored eyes blazed. "Oh really, Kenshin? I didn't want this matter to become a discussion of ethics, but so be it, if that's what you insist upon."

Kenshin allowed his normally placid temper to heat a few degrees. He had never gotten into a fight with Megumi-dono before, in fact, he had never gotten into a full-scale argument with any woman on that note. He was the ever polite, sometimes clueless rurouni. But he also held tight onto what he believed was right. He lived up to his master's annoying, but true nickname: Idiot apprentice. As Sano had told him many times, he could be the world's biggest pushover when it came to women and children, but Kenshin was no pushover when it came to morals.

Of course, one never knew whose morals were correct.

"Kenshin…" He felt a small tug on his sleeve and realized that Kaoru-dono was still kneeling. Slowly, she raised her head. He stopped breathing.

Her lively eyes had lost their twinkle.

"Kenshin, Megumi is right. Whether it was an accident or not, it was still my fault. Please." Her hair hid her face from his view as she ducked her head in submission once more. "Please accept my apology."

_I have no choice._ "I accept your apology, Kaoru," he murmured, and finally, he was able to detach the tanuki from the ground. Their faces were few inches apart, and Kenshin could feel the warmth and sweetness of her soft breath on his scarred cheek. He remained still when her fingertips faintly trailed over the irritation, ignoring the tingles that shot across his already heated skin.

Glazed sapphire eyes now took on a look of indescribable despair.

"Oh, Kenshin!"

Kenshin was not prepared when her slender body sagged into him, and for a second he wasn't quite sure what to do with his arms. The famous Battousai started panicking when her small frame shook against his. And why couldn't he remember what his arms were for in times like these?

Eventually, he settled with wrapping them around her waist as to support her in case she became so overcome with grief that she could not stand. It was the most un-Kaoru-dono thing he could think of, but Kaoru-dono had never acted this way before. Yesterday, it had been doubt. Today, it had been shame. Mou, with all her emotions gone berserk, Kenshin felt lost at his inability to predict what was on her mind.

"Shhh, Kaoru, I'm fine, it's just a small allergy that will go away in a day or two. Don't blame yourself. Megumi-dono, did you have a specific reason to do this?" His vow to protect those close to him was not one to be broken.

It hurt him to see his Kaoru like this.

The kitsune rolled her eyes. "Men." She glowered at both Kenshi and Sano. "You men are so oblivious sometimes. Women are not as easy to read as you like to think they are. Practice. It takes practice."

"Wait, why are you talking to me? It's not like I'm getting married anytime soon, or that I want to," Sano snorted.

"Like any woman would want to marry you, you penniless oaf." Megumi smirked and tossed her hair.

"Oh yeah? I—"

"That's enough." The two stop in their bickering and gaped at his cold tone. Without a word, Kenshin turned around to leave, carefully holding Kaoru-dono close to his chest. Their heartbeats mingled.

He would always, until the end of his time, protect the one most precious to him.

* * *

The cool, afternoon air felt good on his face. A peaceful calm returned to Kenshin as he watched the two sisters run around in the courtyard, naïve and young, much too young to understand what had gone on in the room just now.

The rurouni's skull was not as thick as it sometimes came across to be. Kenshin had an inkling that Kaoru-dono's distress only partially resulted from his allergies. There was something else that she was not telling him.

_Women are not as easy to read as you like to think they are. Practice. It takes practice._ Megumi-dono's words ghosted in his ears.

Did he understand Tomoe's heart as well as he should have? Kenshin sought the sky for an answer.

No, he didn't. It took her death and a few months of contemplation to truly feel what she must have felt during those six months living with him, what she might have wondered, feared, loved in a Hitokiri.

Kenshin blinked, feeling her blue eyes on him. To his immense relief, they were dry, with not a shred of evidence that hinted tear-shed. He was a seasoned swordsman, having endured the crude facets of human blood-lust, having walked the black streets of Kyoto with eyes on the back of his head to watch for assassins—yet the tears of a woman were more than enough for turning battousai to rurouni to an amorphous heap of goo.

Kaoru seemed to realize their proximity and flushed pink, but when she decided to stay in the crook of his arm, Kenshin decided that no matter what, he was still a happy man.

"Kenshin, I'm so sorry-" He placed a gentle finger to her lips and motioned with his eyes for her to look up ahead. A flock of geese flew in V formation against the sun. With winter chasing close on autumn's heels and the temperature dropping every night, it was wise to get away from the cold. The two fell into a content silence as they watched the birds fade into the distance. Moments like these were tokens of simple beauty that nature gave mankind.

"Do you remember," the wind stirred his untidy bangs, "that February of 1878?"

"Yes." Kaoru placed a hand on his chest, over the area that contained his rapidly beating heart. Her voice had shed its thickness, recovering some of its girlish charm. "When you fell through the roof, I knew I had nothing to fear."

* * *

_Someday, Kaoru-dono, we will have a family. By then, I will make sure I understand you completely and make myself worthy of such happiness._

_

* * *

_**I ****started off in a light tone, but as expected, my usual serious tone caught up with my writing :P Please forgive any typos, I can never catch all of them. Right now, I have a total of five chapters planned, no less, maybe more. It really depends on how I pace the story and if people like it or not. By clicking on the "Review" button below, you are making my day ^.^ Update schedule: once a week  
**

**Glossary (I myself hardly know any Japanese, so forgive me if I define some words inappropriately):**

Kitsune: fox - Rurouni: wanderer - Battousai: master of drawing the sword - Tanuki: raccoon - Mou: exasperated or frustrated expression - Shoji: rice-paper doors with bamboo framing that can slide open


	3. Blood and Snow

**I'm so happy I had a snow day today! Earlier update than expected, enjoy!  
**

* * *

Sanosuke goggled at the receding back of the red-haired samurai.

"Say, what did you tell little Missy to make her so upset anyway? It's not everyday that I see her break down like that," he asked out of curiosity.

Her glinting eyes raked over fishbone between his teeth to the miniscule tear at the hem of his pants. Realizing it was high time to defend himself from whatever the female found had offensive, Sanosuke held his palms out in front of his chest in hasty truce.

"Even if I did tell you, you would never understand."

_I'm having a bad day._ _First Kenshin, now Megumi. Why is everyone picking on me? _

"Because unlike you, _Sanosuke—"_

"If you're going to call me by my name, then say it with some respect."

"—Because unlike you, you oaf, we women keep our promises. Kaoru promised me something important, and I honor her by holding her to her word." Megumi tucked her hands into her sleeves and deliberately pivoted on her heel, leaving the rooster-head to to gape.

Men were so stupid and egotistical.

* * *

The sun was at its height when Kaoru finally walked out into the courtyard. After a good hour by herself, some nerve and inner-debate, she was ready for the next task: Laundry. Things just couldn't possibly get worse than the flower catastrophe this morning…right? There was absolutely nothing to lose.

The easy part was finding him; his flame colored hair was so unusual for a native of Japan that it stuck out no matter where he went, whether he liked it or not. He sat on the small stool with his sleeves tied above his elbows. Soapsuds hid his hands from her view as he fished around the washtub for the next article of clothing.

The hard part was conquering the butterflies that tumbled over one another in her stomach.

She took a deep breath and marched over to the preoccupied rurouni.

"Kaoru-dono!" His round, violet eyes closed in a smile as he took in her back-to-normal ki. "Is there something you need?"

"Scoot." She pushed his perch a little ways aside so she could drag in her own stool.

"Oro?"

Kaoru pulled the scrubbing board out of his grasp and plunged her hands into the cold water. The first thing she dug out was his ragged blue sleeping gi, patched in odd places and threadbare around the collar. Kenshin rubbed his neck awkwardly as Kaoru stretched it this way and that, frowning at its shabby condition.

His sheepishness morphed into horror as the tanuki slapped it onto the board and started scrubbing with all the strength she possessed.

This was easy, Kaoru mused to herself, much easier than picking flowers_. _All she had to do was apply the muscles she had gained in her arms from years of kendo training, and _voila, _clean clothes! She picked up in rhythm, thick lather gathering on the water's surface. She could keep up this pace for days without a sweat. Ah, the perks of being a master of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu!

At last, realizing that the only sounds came from the sloshing water, she lifted her head to meet his bewildered, innocent, wide-eyed stare.

"Kenshin!" she scolded lightly, flicking some water in his direction. "Haven't you seen a woman do the laundry before?" she asked in exasperation. "It's rude to stare." Kaoru refocused her attention on the gi. There was a spot that became darker and darker regardless how furiously she rubbed it, but Kaoru wasn't about to let some stupid mud-stain get the best of her.

"Kaoru-dono…er…" His forced laugh made her look up again.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's just that…" The pregnant silence stretched as Kenshin used a smile to mask his scrambling thoughts. Under her perplexed stare, he rubbed the side of his nose with a knuckle and chuckled nervously.

"Stop beating around the bush and spit it out." She tossed her ponytail behind her shoulder so it wouldn't get into the way of her washing. How strange…the more she worked on the stain, the darker it seemed to get.

Kaoru was still waiting for a reply from Kenshin when she felt his presence behind her. A small mumble of surprise escaped her mouth when he captured her hands in his larger ones, ceasing her efforts.

Her hands were very cold compared to his, and Kaoru felt her cheeks go warm as he absentmindedly traced a pattern on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Kaoru-dono, you should leave the laundry to this one." He released her hands and gently tugged his gi from her iron grasp. "Because…forgive me, Kaoru, it really doesn't bother this one, but…"

Kenshin—blundering. Kaoru was speechless as he ran a dripping hand through his hair.

Blundering—and she had thought she would never see the day. The tanuki was in such awe that he placed a hand on her arm to bring her attention back to what he had been _trying_ to say, ultimately failing. So now the rurouni abandoned words and cautiously spread the soggy blue gi out so she could see.

Kenshin had been treading fearfully on thin ice with his words and actions for a good reason.

A hole. The dark patch had been thin weave that had stubbornly held out under her repeated assaults until the last fibers tore. A hole the size of a plum, screaming for attention.

_Dig a hole. Crawl into the hole. Never come out._

She had half the mind not to punch the first person within her reach.

* * *

He had patted her hand in assurance, smiled as brightly as he could.

Don't worry about it, he said, there are better things for Kaoru-dono to worry about than this humble one's gi, which he was sure he could get Megumi-dono to sew up as good as new.

That was as far as he got before she _really _lost her cool. Lucky for him, she used a tree for her punching post instead of her husband to-be.

* * *

Kenshin loved cooking.

He thanked fate for being kind to him this once. Women usually held power in the kitchen area, but the inhabitants of the Kamiya Dojo didn't seem to mind the reverse gender roles and were appreciative of his culinary skill.

If there was one thing Kenshin could think about safely without the irking the others, it was what to prepare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He took his role as the cook seriously. One always had to remember to make enough food, enough good food, enough good healthy food, enough good healthy and relatively affordable food. And he had to change it up. There had been that one time they had snow peas two days in a row as the main course, and Sano had been after his head about the abundance of rabbit food.

The challenge was welcomed.

The fact that it was barely dark when Kenshin finished his regular chores meant extra time to prepare something special. As he retied his now loose hair while walking to the kitchen, the rurouni wondered he could somehow pull off abura-age. Maybe, just maybe they had enough tofu left from yesterday. He had placed the leftovers in a bucket of water, so he shouldn't have to worry about freshness.

Yes, abura-age would please the others. It had been a while since they had indulged. However, Kenshin knew the main reason why he had his heart set out on making the dish: It was Kaoru-dono's favorite.

All a cook ever wanted was an empty plate at the end of the meal. Couple that with a shining, blue-eyed smile and jubilant hug and Kenshin could ask for nothing more. No cook, not even the best of Tokyo, could experience the joy of an insignificant, beat-up samurai who by chance not only wielded a sakabato but an ai-deba, too.

Kenshin busied himself for the next few minutes, pulling out all the necessary ingredients, wiping the cutting board clean, and setting some water to boil for the rice. He was just about to slice the tofu when he heard someone approaching.

Airing his head seemed like a good idea—the scent of jasmine had followed him to the kitchen, but it couldn't be Kaoru-dono…she had needed to buy a few things…

His nose proved to be a better judge than his logic. Kaoru shut the door quietly behind her. Her eyes swept over the assembled ingredients, and recognition lit her face.

"Abura-age!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. His puzzlement was addressed with a stunning smile. "Yahiko was going to pass the shop on his way to Akabeko, so I asked him of the small favor."

He quickly put his knife down so he wouldn't accidentally stab someone as she giggled in childish rapture and threw her arms around his neck.

Jasmine…all he could smell was soft jasmine. Not perfume…just a part of her.

She giggled again as their foreheads bumped—and Kenshin blushed lightly at how close they were. But he decided that the warmth of her skin felt rather comforting and after some hesitation, let his forehead remain on hers.

"We haven't had it in so long. I'm so glad that you are making it, it's my favorite!" She unwrapped her arms from his neck.

_I know. _It was cold without her.

"That's why I want to help!" He locked his jaw to prevent his mouth from dropping.

"But—"

"No 'buts', Kenshin. I feel bad! It can't be easy, feeding all of us by yourself." Kaoru threw a sympathetic glance at the flabbergasted red-head as she rolled up her sleeves.

"But—" He cast a frantic eye over all the potential hazards in the kitchen.

There was the knife.

And the fire.

And the boiling water on top of the fire.

And knowing Kaoru-dono, the tofu, the rice, the cutting board, the buckets, the soy sauce…_all _of that would somehow, don't ask him how, turn hazardous in a blink of the eye. The tofu would _somehow _end up on the ground, and someone would slip and fall. The soy sauce would _somehow _fly into the air, and sting someone's eyes.

Kaoru-dono worked magic on cooking objects that looked harmless on the outside—that was, if she didn't burn the place to the ground first.

"I know you won't admit it, but just let me help this once, please?" She turned her feminine, doe eyes on him, and Kenshin started ticking off all different ways one could meet his doom in a kitchen.

Because he didn't have the heart to say no.

* * *

They laughed over silly comments, discussed the happenings of yesterday, and sliced. The confirmation was in the small talk-itself: the two were very close.

Not that one could expect less. They had been through life threatening perils together, lived together, breathed together. Had it been before the era of formal documents and legal forms (also known respectively as the Meiji Era), anyone would have thought they were already a married couple.

Neither one could imagine how life without one another. And when conversation lulled, the repetitive thuds of two knives chopping at different intervals made up for it.

* * *

Just as Kenshin was beginning to relax, Kaoru got careless.

She groaned audibly from annoyance when her hold on the knife slipped, consequently cutting some skin from her index finger along with the hunk of tofu. Kenshin gave a mental groan himself. He was to blame for not catching the faulty position of her fingers.

"Are you alright?" Worriedly, he grabbed her hand and brought it to eye level.

"I'm fine." Gently, she tugged her hand away and shrugged at his frown. "If it weren't for the blood, I wouldn't know. It barely hurts." As if to prove her point, Kaoru placed the injured hand back on the tofu and picked up where she had left off.

The red-head stared. He swallowed, swallowed again because something was wedged in his throat.

"Kenshin?" It was her turn to worry at the deep crease between his eyebrows and the intense stare directed at her hand. She looked down at the hand herself. It was still bleeding. She sighed.

"Trust me, I'm fine, see?" Kaoru waved the hand in front of him for emphasis. "It's not like I'm going to die—"

"You should stop the bleeding." The flatness of his voice jarred her.

"Oh…it's just a little blood."

Kenshin pressed his mouth into a thin line. She was right, it was just a little blood. Then why? Why was it bothering him so much? Kaoru-dono had experienced her own share of wounds from tagging along with person like him, but something about this time made Kenshin's stomach clench.

Her astonishment prickled the air as he closed his hand around hers. A parade of emotions battled on his features. Kenshin didn't know what he was doing himself, all he knew was he had to clean away the blood.

"May I?" It took her a moment to realize that he had brought her finger to his lips. His murmur tickled the underside of her palm.

"Er…okay," Kaoru relented after she calmed her racing pulse.

His lips were soft and warm, and she found herself mesmerized at the way his hard eyes quickly softened as he sucked the wound clean, the ends of his red hair touching his defined cheeks and jaw.

He noticed her staring at him, and when their eyes met a pretty blush blossomed across Kaoru's face and she searched for something else to look at.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked quietly when he took away her finger and noticed her grimace.

If possible, Kaoru turned redder. "No, no. I was just thinking…"

Amused, he raised his eyebrows.

In a very embarrassed whisper, she finished, "Thinking how germy my finger might have been."

Kenshin blinked, then laughed. He was too busy laughing that he did not see the blow coming from thin air until it landed on his head.

"Quit laughing, you baka! It's not funny, you could get sick. You don't know where my hand could have been," Kaoru growled.

He tried to stop laughing, but only ended up laughing even harder.

She was silent as she rethought her words. Mortification dawned in her eyes and she hid her face in her hands. "I didn't mean that."

Kenshin wrapped an arm around his middle when he at last regained control of himself, and even then the remnants of mirth flickered in his amethyst eyes.

"I wouldn't worry about that, unless you were Sano. Then I would worry about where you hand has been." He caught the slender fingers once more at seeing fresh beads well from the cut. "And you should be more careful, Kaoru-dono. You reopened the cut by hitting this one, that you did."

"And you should laugh more." His smile fell briefly at seeing the seriousness veiled by her long lashes. "You—" she bit her bottom lip, "you haven't laughed like that ever since…ever since…"

She trailed off shakily, and let out a shuddering breath. Burgundy infiltrated her eyes before she could say more.

It had taken him less than a second to cross the distance between them and pull her into his lean, but strong arms. Kaoru stiffened at first, then returned the embrace, fisting her hands in the worn cloth between his shoulder blades. Her head rested beneath the crook of his chin.

He smelled of sandalwood.

* * *

She never wanted to leave the warmth the radiated from his chest's cavity, nor the taut limbs that protected her from the cold outside.

"Please forgive me, Kaoru," He started slowly. "It is true, I haven't had the heart to laugh…" She felt him bury the tip of his nose on the top of her head, "…since Enishi kidnapped you. I was selfish for letting you worry because of that. I don't want you to be unhappy…because of me."

She pounded her fist on his back. "Baka," she muttered into his neck, her voice breaking in the end. "All I ever wanted was for you to be happy."

* * *

The first batch of tofu was hissing in the wok, delicately browning under his watchful eyes and chopsticks.

"That looks delicious." Kaoru glanced over his shoulder and he let his lips pull up in a small smile. "Mmmhhh…" She inhaled and grinned. "Not too bad, huh? I didn't raze the place to the ground," she quipped jestingly, poking him on the arm.

"Oro? I never said that!" But he too grinned as he removed the fried tofu from the oil and set the strips down in a bowl.

"Pfft." A poke turned into a teasing slap, and the tanuki was rewarded with another indignant "oro". "You were thinking it, though. I could tell."

Kenshin chuckled as he reached for the second pile. Kaoru turned around to mix rice vinegar (which Kenshin had already measured out for her) into the rice for taste.

Because her back was too him, she did not see Kenshin freeze as he looked at the white tofu.

The oil crackled and popped, but he ignored it.

_She was right, it was just a little blood. Then why? Why was it bothering him so much?_

There was his answer, right in his hands. Most of it had faded, but spidery webs of crimson threaded through the tiny air pockets and imperfections on the pillowy skin.

Red against white. White against red.

Two colors he hated seeing together.

He bit the inside of his cheek to bring himself back into busy kitchen and to tear himself away from the numbing wind and snow. He angrily pushed his bangs back from his eyes so he would not have a vision full of red. And before the black-haired girl could register something was wrong from the lack of noise, Kenshin hurriedly dropped the white pieces into the sputtering oil.

* * *

**Special from the cook: humor and romance and angst, all tossed together ^.^ Hah, it might taste better if I had Kenshin to help me!**

**A few noteworthy notes: In the olden days (and now too), sucking on a cut, whether to clean or to rid of poisonous blood, was an effective way to stop infection, since saliva contains healing enzymes. Kenshin is not doing anything unusual, he's just being really sweet and caring.**

**Also, I hope I didn't make him slightly OOC...it's hard to write an in-love Kenshin, or an emotional-Kenshin, because he comes across a little passive or too cheerful in the anime**

**I haven't read the Jinchuu/Enishi arc yet, but I do know vaguely what happens from google and fanfic. It's so important in the building of Kaoru and Kenshin's relationship that it had to be mentioned, so I did, though briefly. Which brings me to the second note (I need your feedback!) Should I do a PREQUEL to this fic? I understand some of you want the proposal scene, and I do want to address the impact Kaoru's kidnap had on Kenshin. So drop a review, and tell me what you think ^.^**

**To those who have not watched the OVA: Trust and Betrayal (I highly recommend), then you may not get the last part. The red is obviously blood and the white is the snow. In the movie (I hope I'm not spoiling), there is a very deep scene where a younger Kenshin trudges through blood speckled snow...and let's just say stuff happens along the way and blood fills his eyes. **

**What did promise did Kaoru make Megumi? ^.^ We'll find out soon, you might already know.  
**

**Thanks for reading!  
**

**Glossary of new terms: gi- the top that Kenshin is seen wearing all the time. Abura-age- DEEP FRIED TOFU (yum!), usually filled with seasoned rice of veggies or fish. ai-deba- Japanese kitchen knife. Sakabato- reverse blade sword. Baka- idiot. **


	4. Nightmare and Comfort

Yahiko was off at the Akabeko. Megumi had a few patients to check up back at the clinic. Dr. Gensai and the children had left early, too.

Yet, one opinion was still better than none. Kaoru waited apprehensively as Sanosuke took a large bite from the abura-age. He chewed thoughtfully.

There was silence. Then…

"Why do you hide all your talents from us, Kenshin?" Sano fumed, slamming his fist down on the table and causing the other two to leap back from the rattling dishes. "To think you hardly make something this good—" He sighed, then began stuffing his face sadly. "Olways god sumthin upft your slweeve, ways see…" Kaoru shoved a cupful of water into his face in disgust. "…Always secretive," he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"You shouldn't be talking to me, Sano, that you shouldn't." Kenshin smiled in good nature. "I think you should be thanking Kaoru-dono here, that you should."

Kenshin hid his grin behind his rice bowl and Kaoru tried to stifle the giggles with her hands as Sanosuke's throat bulged. The brown-haired man sputtered while deciding whether or not to stomach the mouthful. At last, taste won over prejudice and Sano washed it down with a healthy douse of sake.

* * *

"Well, I should be going now," Sanosuke yawned and patted his full stomach.

Kaoru poked her head from out of the kitchen. "Why don't you stay with us for the night, Sano?" she asked while wiping a dish. "It's already dark."

"Do I look like Kitsune, Jou-chan? Back in the day when I was Zanza, the dark feared _me, _not the other way around," His sprawled out limbs took up considerable amounts of space. Seeing her scowl, Sano quickly reworded. "While I do appreciate your hospitality, Missy, I best check up on my lodgings. Can't neglect the room for too long, eh?"

"I guess so." Kaoru acquiesced and tossed the towel over her left shoulder

"Why the sigh?" She pulled a nasty face as he ruffled her hair. "It's not like you won't have company. Kenshin should be more than enough—speak of the devil."

Kaoru spun around to see an indigo contour of the swordsman walk out from the cellar. He footsteps were as silent as the night wind brushing over the rooftops.

"Leaving already, Sano?" Kenshin queried as he approached the two.

"Yeah, gotta make sure nobody decided to do funny business around the tenant houses while I was gone," he said with a hint of menace in his voice. Kenshin dipped his chin knowingly. His sleeve brushed Kaoru's hand and she twitched. She would have thought to have grown used to how gracefully Kenshin moved, living with him the past two years.

"Take good care of Missy for me." Sano called over his shoulder as he swaggered off in the general direction of the main doors.

"I will, Sano." His quiet voice rang a new sort of solemn through the air.

Somewhere in the dark, they heard his deep chuckle. "And behave yourselves, children. Don't do anything you might regret while I'm not here to supervise you!"

Kaoru was glad that the sun had set more than half an hour ago. Her face burned up in humiliation and her fingernails bit into the soft sides of her palm.

_"Sanosuke! Y-Y-you—" _Lost for words, the tanuki stomped her foot, thoroughly incensed._ "I'll make you pay for that!"_

* * *

Silence was never awkward around Kenshin. It disturbed her when he decided to conceal his troubles and take the entire burden upon himself, but still…definitely couldn't be called awkward.

That was how Kaoru felt now as they stood next to each other minutes after Sano had left, their clothes barely brushing. She knew what was wrong. In the beginning, it had been hard to tell, but now after all this time, she could read his eyes, picking up small color shifts when he fell into these trances.

He was lost in his thoughts.

"Kenshin, is there…something bothering you?"

He watched her fingers move to tug the yukata in closer around her waist. Subtle reminders like those made signified winter's apparent approach.

Winter…the very season seemed to have pitted against him since the very first days of his existence. Autumn represented slow death, but winter—winter was worse in the aspect that it was burial, whether what remained was living or alive.

Naturally, his least favorite season would be the one that seemed to span the longest.

"No." Their bodies finally touched as he guided her to the sleeping quarters of the Dojo, carefully scanning the ground. "Nothing is wrong, this one was just thinking."

Kaoru feinted nonchalance. "About the past?"

He smiled, and she realized that he would have heard the anxiety creep into her voice with his acute senses.

"No, this one was actually wondering about the present—and the future." The _cluck-cluck _of stone skidding across stone vibrated hollowly; with the side of his foot he nudged a rock out of the way.

"Oh." She blushed at the one-word response. "I mean, I'm glad for you, Kenshin. I'm glad that the past is starting to rest peacefully in your mind." She slipped her hand through his and gave it squeeze.

"I'm glad, too." Kenshin stepped onto the raised porch first, his hand guiding her step. "It's strange. My heart has always welcomed peace, yet I chose to live by the sword. Because of this contradiction, I never thought I would feel as calm as I feel now. This peace—it seems that it has finally found me. I thank you, Kaoru-dono."

He was a man of modest sentences and words. The depth of this confession jolted not just Kaoru, but the rurouni himself. But despite the rare blush tinting his cheekbones, he held her eyes tenderly in his own.

"For what?" She instantly lowered her regular voice to a soft murmur, but the adjustment did not go unnoticed and a thousand crystals glimmered around his pupils.

"It's late, that it is." Something in the atmosphere evaporated with this offhand observation. They had been standing outside her room, and now Kenshin coaxed her away from him and towards the shogi doors.

Briefly, he caressed her cheek with a calloused hand. "You should rest, Kaoru-dono."

* * *

It was as if she had no strength to argue. She slid her hand over the door's wooden panel. There were not as cold to the touch as she expected.

She mechanically fumbled around for a match. By the time a steady flame had ignited on the wick, Kaoru pressed the pads of her fingers to her right cheek in a daze, her lips forming a small "o" of realization.

He had avoided her question.

* * *

A swordsman with a careless ponytail tied at the base of his neck could be seen right outside the door. The braided hilt of his sword jutted from his hip naturally and the tattered bottom of his hakama, dull white in the dimness, rippled with the stirring wind.

He mutely padded to his own room after seeing her candle go out.

* * *

Young night became old, and the crickets finally concluded an evening of song. Feathery strands of loose, black hair framed her sleeping face.

The blanket slipped, exposing thinly clad shoulders to the chilly midnight air. Unbeknownst to herself, Kaoru had clenched both hands to the point where the knuckles were completely drained of blood.

There had been a barrage of nightmares right after her father's death, then another succession during her captivity on Enishi's island. But none of those were like the one unfolding in her subconscious this night.

_Ghastly daisies about six feet tall towered over her, their stems hairy and leaves oily. Grotesque nettles, each thorn the length of her arm, stuck up around her ankles. Puff-ball weeds with leering faces hung above her head. _

_It was a jungle, a monstrous, mutated plant jungle. Fresh beads of sticky moisture slid from her forehead down her neck and collarbone as she stumbled around aimlessly. The cruel, contorted stares of personified plants made her straight shoulders shrink._

"_You dishonored us, Kamiya Kaoru. Flowers were meant to be beautifully arranged in ikebana, but the moment your hands touched us, we became nothing more than weeds."_

_The ground became distinctively softer—squishier—as she retraced her previous steps. She clamped her lips shut, sealing off a yell as her foot suddenly sank through tofu._

_Yes, tofu. Slippery, white chunks of congealed bean curd wobbled beneath her weight. Red rivulets appearing from no particular source flooded the surface like blood from a severed artery._

_"Here, let me sew up your wounds."_

_She very nearly lost her footing as she stumbled forward towards the feminine voice._

_"Megumi!" Reaching out a hand, she groped the black abyss in front of her._

_"You promised me, Kaoru. you promised that you would protect Sir Ken's happiness. But what you are doing now is tossing away your own happiness for his, but do you not understand that YOU are his life? Open your eyes! Why can't you see that some things cannot be compared?"_

_She swallowed thickly. "I-I know, Megumi. I know that love cannot be compared."_

_"Cannot be compared...he knew her first. He loved her first." Phantom, foggy shadows of varying shapes marched on the count of five. "You'll never compare, Kaoru. You'll always be second best, a naive, clumsy, foolish child." And five counts would pass with a new chant, each one worse than the previous.  
_

"_Kaoru-dono!"_

_The voice was very familiar, but she dismissed it as she backed away warily from the advancing silhouettes._

"_Kaoru-dono—Kaoru, can you hear me?" _

"Kaoru-dono—Kaoru, can you hear me?"

She forced her eyes to snap open. The four corners of her room merged into indistinguishable murkiness. North became South, East became West.

It was just a dream.

* * *

The very first scene that greeted her awakened vision was the V of his bare chest showing through the haphazardly tied yukata, displaying signs of being thrown over his gi in a great rush. The hair was even worse—in a cute way. He hadn't even bothered to tie it back. His face was upside down—he was on his knees by her head, hovering over her with amethyst eyes stretched wide in concern. The line of his lips parted minutely as they stared each other dumbly.

"Kenshin? What—why—" Her words were muffled. She sat up and felt around for her yukata, which he promptly found for her.

"You were muttering." He offered as a reply while arranging the thicker garment over her shoulders. Kaoru plucked at her braid nervously.

She wanted to lift her shirt and air dry the icy sheen of sweat that covered her body, but she couldn't do so in front of Kenshin. She wanted to scream, to cry, to hear the satisfied crunch of her knuckles connecting on solid stone. She wanted to release this ridiculous, but slowly solidifying tension.

"Wait…" She frowned at the rurouni as he raised his brow. "You're in my room," she stated rather pointedly with a touch of underlying suspicion.

Two years suddenly feeling like yesterday, Kenshin rubbed at a nonexistent lump at the top of his skull. He remembered seeing the bucket fly out from the bathhouse, remembered feeling the scrap of wood smartly whacking his head with almost frightening force.

_Himura Kenshin! I thought better of you! Don't you EVER dare set foot into the bathhouse while I'm in it, or my room!_

He smiled nervously. "Hai…well…this one was worried."

Her glower softened. "Alright, I'll make an exception this time." In all honesty, Kaoru was glad that for the time being, he was by her side and in her room. For once, she did not want to be left alone. The restful sound of his breathing, the warming scent of sandalwood, the way his hands lingered in the space over her shoulders when he draped the yukata over her—

"Kaoru-dono…will you be able to fall back asleep?"

She opened her mouth to lie, then changed her mind on second thought and shook her head. "No…I don't think so. You go back to sleep, Kenshin, don't worry about—"

"Then this one will sit vigil with you tonight," he interjected firmly.

* * *

Outside, the moon shied behind a thin layer of clouds. They sat on the porch.

Kenshin made noncommittal sound of surprise when she rested her head on his shoulder. Bluish highlights adorned her raven locks. He shifted his position so she could rest more comfortably. She sighed when he slid an arm around her shoulders.

"Kenshin?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Glancing down at the petite form leaning against him, a resolution steeled within the rurouni. No, he could not ask her what the nightmare was about—he could not ask her what had been troubling her the past few days. He would not bother her with his own confusion.

He would find the answer for himself.

"The reason I still carry my sakabato, Kaoru," he murmured, "is to protect the one close to me."

* * *

At the end of the day, Hiko Seijuro never said "good-night" to his bruised and battered apprentice. Instead, he would gruffly proclaim that bright, star-dusted night skies boded even brighter mornings.

* * *

**Sorry about the late update! I've been really busy...yes, I know it's a bad excuse. Well, I had some mild trouble with the nightmare scene...I didn't want to make it drag, so I shortened it ^.^ Thanks for reading, and please review! Since fanfic has a thing against 2 reviews from the same user per chapter, I DO have anonymous reviews enabled. I appreciate all your feedback!**

**Next chapter will be a lot of fun! Kenshin trying to figure out what is bothering Kaoru...ORO! Who will he ask?**

**Glossary: Zanza- Sano's street fighter nickname, Jou-chan- affection term, sister, Ikebana- flower arrangment  
**


	5. Questions and Answers

"Why are you asking me?"

"Oro…"

"Is there a single thing about me that would _even _give you the assumption that I would have the _vaguest _idea of an answer to a question like that?"

"No?"

"And does it look like I research women psychology? Does it look like I have the _slightest _experience with women?"

"Okay, I understand Sano. This one is sorry for bothering you," Kenshin pacified the grumbling man.

It had been a mistake to ask the street-fighter for his opinion on these issues. Of course, the first person he had gone to was Sano—he being the one who had fought alongside him during most of his battles the past two years. But…well, he was _Sano. _He should have been prepared for this sort of response.

Kenshin decided it would be best for him to quietly fade into the background now, but Sanosuke had a better plan.

"Hey Kenshin, you're so thick sometimes that I can't believe you were ever Battousai."

He raised an eyebrow at a statement hackneyed by Sanosuke to the point where it was often just used as a preamble to a bigger jab at his flaws.

"Why don't you ask _Megumi?"_

* * *

Wailing babies, groaning geezers, sniffling men, runny-eyed children—they lined up obediently like produce on a shelf in the makeshift waiting room. Of all the malady inflicted, fever ridden patients, the red-head was the healthiest looking one—in fact, _nothing_ seemed to be wrong about his health. As a result, he earned himself a few questioning, even jealous glares as he leaned unobtrusively against the wall like any other man would.

And when that didn't wipe the suspicion off their faces, he tried to blend into the mottled gray pattern of stones.

Dr. Takani was well known in this part of Tokyo. With her long-lashed, bright eyes and feminine form, she was better known as the best female doctor. This title accounted for why the occasional young lad came limping to the clinic with just a scratch on his forearm. But if the scratch was truly there, Dr. Takani would no doubt attend to him.

And if it wasn't…a man-sized hole could be seen in the vendor's booth across the street the next day.

Half of the males were already secretly fantasizing about a hole in the shape of the young red-head with the weird pink gi and the funny cross-shaped scar. They got a nasty surprise when the doctor came out and instead of beating the vagabond senseless, smiled in delight.

"Sir Ken!" She ignored the scowls of her patients and bounded over to the swordsman, who was still trying with no success to flatten himself against the wall.

"Megumi-dono." He motioned with his eyes towards people gaping at this show of affection. Megumi caught on quickly.

"You." She swept her hand at the wailing babies, groaning geezers, sniffling men, and runny-eyed children. "Can all of you hold on for five minutes? Do we have anything that needs immediate attention?"

A unified grumble that sounded like "no" was enough to satisfy the Kitsune, and she quickly ushered the rurouni into her office.

"How's your face?" Megumi began as she closed the door behind her and turned to Kenshin.

"I'm fine, that I am." It was true. The rash had appeared worse than it actually was. It had taken less than a day for his skin to clear up.

"Then…" she veiled her eyes and smiled coyly, "what brings you here?"

Kenshin cleared his throat. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, suddenly feeling a bout of sheepishness.

_I'm just here to ask Megumi if Kaoru has been acting funny around her, too. I'm not here to ask for advice, _he reminded himself. This was his own problem to figure out.

"Kaoru-dono…has been acting…"

"Strange? Picking flowers, washing clothes, cooking dinner? Doubtful of herself? Confused?" Megumi beat him to it with a sly grin.

Oh, she wasn't really offended by their quarrel the other day. She would just poke some fun at the samurai, who was _so _incredibly naïve in these matters that it was unbelievable. If thirty years were enough to have eaten worse than the tanuki's cooking, then surely thirty years were enough to have had more experience around women. Some harmless revenge would never hurt.

The expression on his face was priceless. His already round eyes widened, and he opened his mouth only to realize that she had stolen the words right from the tip of his tongue.

_Oro…_

"Am I correct?"

"…Yes."

"So, you are here to ask me what I might conclude from this, hm?" She prompted.

He stared at the pastel painted walls with great focus. "More or less."

"Okay, come closer," she beckoned with crooked finger. "I'll tell you a secret of us women…" Lowering her voice to a volume just above a whisper, she leaned her body forward invitingly, "that you'll never find out from anyone else."

She was baiting him. He didn't really have a choice. Either he take the bait, or leave without a single answer from this trip to town. Kenshin sighed. He tore his gaze from the wall mournfully and walked over to Megumi's cupped mouth.

"_You see, women need to have their place in society. When Kaoru goes out to buy tofu, she's also meeting with her girlfriends, like me, to share the latest news and gossip. But when she becomes your wife, she'll be expected to share all the secrets of the house, her husband's new underwear, his preference of flowers…" _Megumi pulled back, a smirk gracing her painted lips. "Do you get my meaning?"

* * *

"So, how did it go?"

He shielded his eyes from the glaring sun as he pinned up the last of the laundry. "Not well…" Kenshin mumbled. "I don't think Megumi answered honestly, that I don't."

Sanosuke rolled his eyes after hearing the story word for word. "Fat chance, like Missy goes out to town to talk about your underwear…sure, she's loud, but she isn't the type to gossip…not like _some _women…"

Kenshin was grateful for the white sheet that hid his burning face.

* * *

Kaoru scoured the whole Dojo for the rurouni, but when she could not find him, she asked Sanosuke.

"Really?" She exclaimed upon hearing the rooster-head's reply. "That's strange, I wonder what business he would have in town this afternoon."

Sano watched her ponytail swish from side to side as she shrugged and called Yahiko out to practice. _It's all for you, Jou-chan, all for you._

* * *

Narrow eyes. Slick hair with a few spiky strands shrouding his hard face.

_Could it be?_

The tall, mysterious man in the police uniform eluded such a ki that the Akabeko diners stayed far away from his table. His cruel, calculating eyes flicked around his surroundings.

One person dared to sit down across from the man on the mat. He crossed his legs neutrally and propped his sheathed sword against the wall.

"Saitou," he nodded politely. "Haven't seen you around here for a while."

"Still sticking with the pretty words, Himura?" His amicable voice did not match the expression on his face, but the "hmph" of contempt and drumming of gloved fingers on the table brought a smile to the rurouni's lips.

"I see it's no longer Battousai now. You seem to acknowledge the wanderer. So, what brings you back to Tokyo?"

"You forget two things, Himura," The former Shinsengumi leader cut in lazily. He produced a cigarette from the inside of his sleeve and held it between his teeth. The lighter clicked. "The first being that I would rather not disclose any unnecessary information to any man, the second being that I can see through your petty speech." He tapped the end of the smoking paper, causing a few ashes to speckle the table. "What's your motive? I've been told that I'm not the best company for drinking. You did not seek me out for a few toasts, no?"

"You haven't changed, Saitou."

A whisp of smoke curled from the corner of his mouth. "What do you want?"

Kenshin prayed for luck. "You…you did say you are married?" _To a Buddha, most likely._

If Saitou thought of the random inquiry as strange, he didn't let it show. He took a lengthy draw from the crumbling cigarette before answering. "Like I said, I am not one to divulge any information."

Kenshin took that as a yes. "Saitou, it may seem inappropriate of me, since neither of us owe each other anything, but I have a favor…"

* * *

"It's obvious." He ground the butt into the ashtray in a bored manner.

_It is?_

"Think of it on a practical level, Himura. You are thirty. She is twenty. And biologically, women outlive men. You will die someday."

He could not see where the wolf was going with this.

"You will die long before her. That Kamiya girl is going to have to take care of herself. She won't have you to cook and clean for her. I'm sure that she, being more perceptive than you, already thought of this and is taking the opportunity to prepare herself for that day when you drop dead."

Tae swept by to offer a sake refill, only to find the sake untouched.

* * *

"That sounds like something Saitou would come up with." Sano conceded. "Twisted, sardonic slit-eyes."

"But…it makes sense, doesn't it?" Kenshin stated anxiously as he sat down on the porch, weary and even more confused.

"For god's sake, Kenshin, she's _twenty, _do you seriously believe that Jou-chan is already preparing for your funeral?"

He didn't know what to believe, what not to believe. He just wanted this day to end already.

* * *

**One more chapter before this story ends :( I hope you enjoyed some of the humor. And yes, I brought Saitou back...he was the only married person I could think of who would give such an answer ^.^ Thank you to all who have been reviewing!**

**Kenshin may be clueless in this chapter (I don't blame him, those were some pretty bad answers), but no worries, he'll figure out everything by himself next chappie ^.^  
**


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